Appalachian Territory

With the possible exception of some parts of the Texan border regions, the Appalachian Mountains is the most dangerous airspace in North America - especially where the short Allegheny Front crosses the nations of Appalachia, Dixie, Columbia and the Empire State, and touches the Industrial States of America. Not for nothing is that region called Hell's Heights.

Appalachia faces its most serious threat from the south, where the Confederation seeks to take control of the illegal alcohol trade. Desperate for military backing, the government in Lexington has appealed to the Empire State for militia assistance and political backing for its claim to the mountains, counting on the antipathy of the northern states for the reborn Confederacy. It is rumored that Appalachian-government-backed 'shine operations are directed at the ISA rather than the Empire State as a gesture of goodwill. If true (and these stories have never been proven) it would be an almost unique case of co-operation between a wet and a dry state.

History
In the previous fracturing of the United States in the 1860s, Kentucky remained part of the Union but held considerable Confederate sympathy, Tennessee seceded, and West Virginia counter-seceded when Virginia withdrew, refusing to go along and separating to remain in the Union. Barely 50 years later, the Union broke up for good, leaving Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia to fend for themselves. The three states decided to form a defensive pact, and have remained independent ever since.

Lawlessness is rife in the mountainous Appalachian Territory; the Appalachians are home to more smuggler's dens and pirate havens per square mile than any other area on the continent except Free Colorado. Hell's Henchmen, who originated in the area of Hell's Heights but now plunder throughout the mountain range, operate several bases in the area, and threaten all nearby states. One rumor suggests that the Henchmen accept "tribute" from both Dixie and Appalachia not to join the other side, and so continue to raid both with impunity.

Government
The national government of the Appalachian territory does not amount to more than a provisional government, mainly helping to coordinate defensive actions by and foreign relations of its three constituent states. The capital is based in Lexington, Kentucky.

The current leader of Appalachia is President Jonah McCullough, a U.S. Army veteran who fought in Europe during the Great War; his record as a war hero aided his run for office. McCullough has managed—through force of will, tactical and strategic savvy, and sheer ruthlessness—to keep the pirates and criminals that populate Hell's Heights from posing a threat to the citizens of Appalachia.

Military

 * Appalachian Air Wardens- The Wardens are the organized air force of the Appalachian Territory. Though determined, they lack the strength to truly police the territory of the three states, which totals at 106,782 square miles. As a result, piracy and smuggling is rampant within the Territory.

International Relations

 * Confederation of Dixie- Despite the fact that one of its states, Tennessee, was in the previous Confederacy, and Kentucky came close to secession, the AT has a cold relationship with the Confederation of Dixie. The strict dry laws of the Confederacy conflict sharply with Appalachia's moonshine trade and general tolerance of alcohol, and the Confederacy has not been subtle about its desire to absorb the three states of Appalachia into itself.


 * Empire State- The Appalachian Territory has sought and to some degree found an ally in the Empire State, and uses their connections to the ES as a counterbalance to the much greater strength of the Confederate Air Force. With the Empire State likely willing to intervene if the Confederacy attacks the Appalachian Territory outright, the Empire State-Appalachian Territory relations have helped assure Appalachia its independence.

Behind the Scenes

 * The Appalachian Territory is the only part of the former United States to have member states from both sides of the American Civil War. Tennessee seceded and joined the CSA in 1861, West Virginia was admitted as a new member of the United States in 1863, and Kentucky remained in the Union throughout the Civil War despite considerable pro-Confederate sympathy.
 * West Virginia and Virginia spent 65 years as part of the same country after the end of the Civil War, before winding up in separate nations again upon the breakup of the United States. The Outer Banks states have become a protectorate territory of the Confederacy, and the considerable antagonism and distrust between the Confederacy and the Appalachian Territory means the two Virginias will almost certainly never be part of the same country again.
 * Some altered geography can be seen on the Crimson Skies map featured on this wiki: West Virginia has apparently annexed Allegany County and Garrett County from Maryland, leaving Washington County as Maryland's westernmost county.
 * `On the other hand, a map seen in two cutscenes in "Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge" depicts West Virginia as having the same border with Maryland that it did before the breakup of the United States.